SAFETY MEASURES IN INDUSTRY

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28671, 22 August 1958, Page 14

SAFETY MEASURES IN INDUSTRY

Survey By N.Z. ■ Officer “It would be difficult to find a country where industrial accident prevention is not being carried out,” said the superintendent of the National Safety Association, Mr Norman Dunshea, in Christchurch after a tour of Britain, Canada and the United States and attending the World Industrial Accident Congress in Brussels.

In Britain, Mr Dunshea attended an industrial safety training course organised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and also visited the Industrial Safety and Health Centre. He was impressed by the fact that safety regulations in agriculture were being brought into line with industrial safety measures, he said. In industry, there were safety programmes in many plants and the Royal Society held three training courses each year, for safety officers. It was realised that the foreman and supervisor played an important role in preventing accidents. Accident prevention associations also operated successfully in Canada. They were authorised by the Workman’s Compensation Board. Officers were appointed to visit plants to assist safety programmes. It was realised in Canada that it was just as important to enlighten the management of firms on the value of safety groups as/ it was to enlighten the workers. There were now firms with as many as 20 injury-free years to their credit. Mr Dunshea was impressed with Toronto’s rehabilitation centre for persons injured in industrial accidents. In 1956, 3700 persons were admitted and 91 per cent, of those had now been successfully rehabilitated. A new centre, costing 5,500,000 dollars, would be opened there soon. In the Canadian associations, employers’ liability insurance rates had been cut considerably —in the carrying industry, for example, it had 'been reduced from 3 dollars 85 cents for every 100 dollars paid in wages to 1 dollar 75 cents is- 10 years.